J. Ward - Lover Enshrined

When he opened his eyes again, it was to meet John’s stare. The guy was in the front seat, but he was cranked all the way around so he could keep a look-see on Qhuinn.

The guy’s stare was worried and wary. Like he was not sure Qhuinn was going to make it… and he was thinking about what had gone down four hours and ten million years ago back in the locker room.

Qhuinn lifted his busted hands and signed in a messy way, You are still the same to me. Nothing has changed.

John’s eyes shot to the left and he stared out one of the windows.

Headlights from a car behind them splashed against the guy’s face, pulling it free of the darkness. Doubt was written clear as day in those proud, handsome features.

Qhuinn closed his eyes.

What a horrible night this was.

"OH. My. God. That dress is a train wreck.”

Cormia laughed and looked up at Bella and Zsadist’s television. Project Runway was a fascinating “show,” as it turned out. “What is that hanging down off the back?”

Bella shook her head. “Bad taste made manifest by satin. I think it started as a bow, though.”

The two of them were stretched out on the mated couple ’s bed, leaning back against the headboard. The house-hold ’s black cat was between them, enjoying the fruits of some two-handed petting, and Boo didn’t seem to like the gown any more than Bella did. His green eyes regarded the TV with distaste.

Cormia shifted her hand from the cat’s back to his flank. “The color is kind of nice.”

“That doesn’t make up for the fact that it’s like shrink-wrap for a boat. And has a grappling rope tacked on the butt.”

“I don’t even know what a boat is. Much less shrink-wrap.”

Bella pointed at the flat screen across the room. “You’re looking at it. Just picture something that looks like a floating car under that nightmare and voilà.”

Cormia smiled and thought that her time with the female had been both revelatory and strangely disorienting. She liked Bella. She honestly did. The female was funny and warm and thoughtful, as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.

No wonder the Primale adored her. And as much as Cormia had wanted to stake a claim on him around Bella, she found there was no need to exert her First Mate status. The Primale didn’t come up as a topic of conversation, and there were no undertones to bump up against.

What she had perceived as a rival had turned out to be a friend.

Cormia went back to what was on her lap. The floppy booklet was big and thin, with glossy pages and lots of what Bella had told her were ads. Vogue , it said on the front. “Look at all these different kinds of clothes,” she murmured. “How amazing.”

“I’m almost done with Harper’s Bazaar , if you want it-”

The door burst open with such force that Cormia leaped off the bed and sent Vogue flapping into the corner like a startled bird. The Brother Zsadist was in the doorway, fresh from fighting, given the stench of baby powder he carried and all the weapons on him.

“What’s going on?” he demanded.

“Well,” Bella said slowly, “you’ve just scared the holy hell out of Cormia and me, Tim Gunn has called time for the designers, and I’m getting hungry again, so I’m about to call Fritz and ask for an omelet. Bacon and cheddar cheese. With hash browns. And juice.”

The Brother looked around as if he were expecting to see lessers behind the drapes. “Phury said you weren’t feeling well.”

“I was tired. He helped me up the stairs. Cormia started here as a babysitter, but now I think she’s staying because she’s kind of enjoying herself, aren’t you? Or at least she was, right?”

Cormia nodded, but didn’t take her eyes off the Brother. With his scarred face and his huge body, he’d always made her feel uncomfortable, not because he was ugly in any way, but because he appeared so fierce.

Zsadist looked over at her, and the oddest thing happened. He spoke in a shockingly kind voice and raised his hand as if to calm her.

“Easy, now. I’m sorry I scared you.” His eyes gradually turned yellow and his face softened. “I’m just worried about my shellan . I’m not going to hurt you.”

Cormia felt the tension in her release and found herself understanding better why Bella was with him. With a bow, she said, “Of course, your grace. Of course you are worried for her.”

“Are you okay?” Bella asked, looking at her hellren ’s black-stained clothes. “Is everyone in the family okay?”

“The Brothers are all fine.” He went over to his shellan and touched her face with a hand that shook. “I want Doc Jane to have a look at you.”

“If that would make you feel better, by all means, have her come. I don’t think there’s anything wrong, but I want to do whatever makes you feel more comfortable.”

“Is it the spotting again?” Bella didn’t answer. “I’ll go get her-”

“It’s not much, and it’s nothing different from what I’ve had before. Doc Jane would probably be a good idea, except I doubt there’s anything to be done.” Bella turned her lips to his palm and kissed him. “But first, please tell me what happened tonight?”

Zsadist just shook his head, and Bella closed her eyes, as if she were used to getting bad news… as if she had gotten it so often that words about the exact situations were no longer needed. Speech could add nothing to her sadness or his. Nor could it relieve what they clearly felt.

Zsadist dipped his head and kissed his mate. As their eyes met, the love between them was so intense, it created an aura of warmth Cormia could swear she felt from over where she was standing.

Bella had never shown this kind of connection with the Primale. Ever.

Nor, for that matter, had he toward her. Although perhaps that was just out of discretion.

Zsadist said a few quiet words, then left as if he were on the prowl, brows down, heavy shoulders set like beams for a house.

Cormia cleared her throat. “Would you like me to get Fritz for you? Or put your order in for a repast?”

“I think I’d better wait, if Doc Jane’s going to examine me.” The female’s hand crept up onto her belly and moved in slow circles. “Would you like to come back and watch the rest of the shows with me later?”

“If you’d like-”

“Absolutely. You’re very good company.”

“I am?”

Bella’s eyes were impossibly kind. “Very. You make me feel calm.”

“Then I shall be your birth companion. Where I’m from, a pregnant sister always has a birth companion.”

“Thank you…thank you very much.” Bella turned away as fear speared into her eyes. “I’ll take any help I can get.”

“If I may,” Cormia murmured, “what worries you most?”

“Him. I worry about Z.” Bella’s eyes swung back. “Then I worry about my young. It’s so strange. I don’t worry about me all that much.”

“You are very brave.”

“Oh, you don’t see me in the middle of the day in the dark. I fall apart plenty, trust me.”

“I still think you are brave.” Cormia put her hand on her flat stomach. “I doubt I could be so courageous.”

Bella smiled. “I think you’re wrong about that. I’ve watched you these past months, and there’s an incredible strength in you.”

Cormia wasn’t so sure about that. “I do hope the examination goes well, and I’ll come back later-”

“You don’t honestly think it’s easy to be what you are, do you? To live under the kind of pressures the Chosen have to? I can’t imagine how you deal with it, and I have tremendous respect for you.”